Girls flag football is one step away from becoming a sanctioned high school sport.
Officials with the Indiana High School Athletic Association, the Indianapolis Colts and the National Football League celebrated the milestone Sunday on the last day of the National Flag Football Championships in Westfield.
Full sanctioning would shift girls flag football from a Colts-backed pilot into an official IHSAA sport — with state-run tournaments and formal eligibility rules. This would potentially give thousands of Indiana girls the same varsity standing as boys’ sports, as the game heads towards its Olympic debut in 2028.
A sport is required to surpass a threshold of 100 teams to be considered by IHSAA to be a sanctioned sport. The Colt's Road 100 campaign sought to make that goal.
Streamers and cheers filled the air as Colts owner and Chief Brand Officer Kalen Jackson announced there are now 108 teams across the state.
“Although the Road 100 is complete, the road ahead is even more exciting, and we’re truly just getting started,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s father, the late Colts owner Jim Irsay, was passionate about bringing the sport to Indiana. In 2024, the Colts and Jim Irsay Family launched the Road to 100 campaign that provided $1 million to help schools start up teams. The funding of up to $10,000 per school helped with startup costs including equipment, uniforms and coaches. The campaign also funded free officiating training for 500 referees.
In 2023, eight teams took part in the first season. It grew to 27 teams in 2024, then to 78 teams last year, when the sport held its first state championship tournament.
Jackson said the success the initiative has had continues her father’s legacy.
“I think that these types of campaigns like Road to 100, especially when it comes to girls’ athletics, was something that he was always pushing for,” Jackson said. “Girls having more opportunities, women having more opportunities in the league, and so to be able to have this moment, I wish he was here, but I know he’s seeing it, and he would have been the biggest supporter of it.”
Currently girls flag football is considered an “emerging sport” by the association. The next step could come as early as May 2027, when IHSAA commissioners are expected to vote whether to fully sanction the sport.
Flag football differs from traditional tackle football with no-contact allowed — that includes tackles, blocks, dives and screens. Players wear a belt with flags hanging off the sides. To “tackle” an opponent the player must pull one or both flags off of them.
IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig said the bylaw change to fully recognize girls’ flag football as a sport in Indiana could happen next spring. He thanked the Colts for their partnership in making it possible.
“It’s about creating opportunities, breaking barriers, and opening doors for young women who want to compete, lead, and just be part of a team,” Neidig said.
Indiana is one of about 40 states that have high school girls flag football. The sport is also on the path to become an NCAA championship sport in all three divisions. The exponential rise in interest in recent years will also include the sport making its debut in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
NFL Senior Vice President of global flag football Brian Flinn said having the sport sanctioned is a critical step with governance and compliance as well as health and safety standards.
“We want coaching certifications. We want funding from institutions in the state,” Flinn said. “We want statistics, so that there are verifiable ways that colleges can come and recruit young women for scholarships, so that they can play at the next level.”
Indiana high schools interested in starting a girls flag football team can still apply for funds to help cover startup costs.
Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org or on Signal at SamHorton.05.
